It’s not practical or productive to screen the entire population. The goal is to reach the most people who have the highest risk of disease.

A major study is defining potential patients. It found benefit in using low-dose scans on people between the ages of 55-74 who averaged a pack of cigarettes a day for thirty years. Trials found a 20% reduction in deaths.

“We don’t want to do 30 year olds; we don’t want to do 90 year olds. We don’t want to screen people who are not smokers. We want to follow the close guidelines that they used in the trial,” says Dr. Miller.

Looking for lung cancer in the most likely people, may lead to finding it early enough to make a difference.